The announcement, on October 25, 2010 that Sony would be discontinuing the production of Walkmans was met by a lot of nostalgia and surprise. Some people had already thought the Walkman was dead. To be honest, I wouldn’t blame them for thinking that way especially with how digital music players, namely the iPod, have taken over our world. In fact, many lists highlighted the iPod as the invention that changed the world of music in the 2000s. I, for one, am going to miss the Walkman.

Sony Walkman WM A602 Image via Wikipedia

I even wrote a long post for this during the summer about my affinity for the tech stuff I used growing up. You can find it here. Both items are considered to be revolutionary in terms of how we listen to our music and have shaped the music industry and the definition of what songs are hits or flops. Since the introduction of the iPod, for example, the biggest indicator has become the download rate for a song or how many copies an album sells on iTunes.

Still the Walkman did leave its impact on the world, giving music enthusiasts a chance to take their music with them wherever they went.

This does not mean, however, that we should be in mourning. This is because Apple have unveiled the newest generations of iPod shuffle, iPod nano, and iPod touch, and they look amazing. It’s hard to imagine that they have only been around for 9 years, because it sure feels like forever. (more…)